Improvement in breech-loading ordnance



2 Sheets Sheet '1.

L. W. BROADWELL" BRBEDH LOADING CANNON.

No. 55,762. Patented June 19, 1 866.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. W. BROADWELL. BREEGH LOADING CANNON.

No. 55,762. Patented June 19, 1866.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS 'WELLS BROADWELL, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR TO C. M. CLAY, OF KENTUCKY.

. IMPROVEMENTJN BREECH-LOADING- ORDNANCE.

' Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 65,762, dated June 19, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS WELLS: BROAD- WELL, of the city of New Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and Improved Breech-Loading Mechanism suitable for Ordnance of any caliber; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

' exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in 'whichplate. Figs. 5 and 6 are rear and front elevations of the gas-ring. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the bearin g or recoil plate.

The same lettersrei'er to like parts in the difl'erent figures.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

, I cut a slot or-mortise through the breech of the gun at right angles with the bore, and sit uated about one and a half caliber from the rear end thereof. I make the said mortise a little wider than the diameter of the gas-ring to be used and slightly tapered on, the rear side. Into this mortise I fit the sliding breech- "block A, and through the narrow end of this block I form a circular aperture, B, having a diameter equal to that of the loading-chamber of the gun, through which thecharge is passed 1 also form a chamber, circularor of any other shape, in the front of the breech-block A, to receive and carry the adjustable bearing-plate D, fastened therein by the small screw-bolt a." The face of the bearing-plate D is recessed, as seen, to form a chamber to receive the gas-deposit and prevent its cutting the bearing-surfaces when the breech-block is operated. I next make the chamber E in the rear side of breech block A,

at thevthick end thereof, to receive and carry the operating-screw z. I then out; two or more inclined grooves or female threads, k, in the gun, on the rear side of the mortise, at the wide end thereof, to receive the corresponding threads of the operating-screw. These female threads may be advantageously cut in a plate or block to he afterward inserted in its place in the breech of the gun.

*The operating-screw is made hollow to receive the handle by means of which it is revolved. The screw and handle may be made in a single .piece, if desired. The inner part of the thread of the operating-screw is cut away on one side, as seen, in order that the block A may be withdrawn to the position for loading. To withdraw the block, turn away the out part of the operating-screw to the rear.

I now make the'circular chamber, either conical or curved, asthe case may be, in the rear end of the bore of the gun and concentric therewith. The diameter of this gas-ring chamber is from one to one and a half inch greater than that of the bore of the gun at this place, and its depth is from three-fourths of an inch to one inch. Into this chamber I now fit a gas-ring, d, of corresponding shape and size, either conical or curved, as the case may be.

The shape and proportions of the gas-rings are accurately illustratedin Fig. 4. The gasring and bearing-plates may be made of any suitable metal; but I prefer to make them of the best cast or spring steel hardened in oil.

I generally employ the conical form of gasring for guns of small caliber and those of the curved form for guns of large caliber. The

curvature of the curved gas-ring is that of a circle whose diameter isequal to the greatest diameter of the required gas-ring. (See dotted circle in Fig. 4.)

The bore of the gas-rings is always made a little greater than that of the gun to permit the charge to be passed freely through it. These gas-rings are permanently located and self-acting. 7

Upon the face or bearing-surface of the gasriug I make three, or more or less, small circular grooves, which serve as receptacles for the small. particles of dirt which would otherwise prevent perfect contact between the bear ingsurfaces of ring and bearing-plate.

Having described the manner of constructing the several parts, I. will now proceed to show how the mechanism is operated.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the breech closed-and the gun in position for firing. To open the breech give the handle of the operating-screw half a turn to the. rear, at which point it will be arrested by a shoulder of the groove in the flange or collar of the handle coming in con tact with the set-pin b on the breech-block. This withdraws the block A a half-inch or more, according to the pitch of the screw, sufficient to break the contact and permit it to.

be easily withdrawn by a direct motion to the position for loading, at which point it is arrested and held by the set-pin c. The gun being loaded. by the insertion of the load from the rear while the openin g in the breech-block is in correspondence with the bore of the gun, the block A is shoved in until it is arrested by the thread of the operating-screw, whichis now properly located to enter the female threads in the gun, and by giving the handle half a turn forward, at which point it will again be arrested by the set-pin b.- This halfturn forward of the operating-screw forces the block into exactly the same position each time. and accurately adjusts the bearing-surfaces of the gas-ring and bearing-plate upon each other and locks the block A in position while the gun is fired.

The bearing-plate D is termed adjustable because it may be advanced or retired, in order to produce perfect contact with the gas-ring, by underlaying paper or thin semi-soft metallic plates, such as copper.

The block Ais made about one-eighth of an inch thinner than the mortise, to allow the ring and bearing-plate to project a little from their respective chambers. There is, therefore, no contact whatever between the block and front mortise, but only between the bearing-plate and gas-ring d.

The gas-proofquality of this invention consists in the perfect contact and combinedaction of the bearing'plate D'and the gas-ring d. When the bearingsurfaces of these two pieces become injured they may be quickly withdrawn and a new set substituted, of which there should be several duplicates furnished to each gun,

'Thus the gas-proof principle is'restored to its original perfection, and this change may be made in the field if necessary. Now, by grinding the hearing-surfaces of the two injured pieces upon a face-plate they are etl'ectually repaired and ready for further service. An additional piece of paper or other suitable material laid under the bearing-plate will compensate for what has been ground away and perfect contact restored.

'By' the use of the interposed softer material between the bearing-plate and the breech-block the vibration and concussion are absorbed;

hence the recoil is diminished, and the gun and its mechanism are materially relieved from the shock at the moment of firing, By the interposition of thicker or thinner plates the bearing-plate is adjusted so as to cause it to bear with the required, force upon the rear 01" the gas-ring.

, When the gas-ring and its'chamber are cylindrical the friction caused by the lateral expansion is so great that the ring becomes fixed in its chamber, and cannot act with sufficientforceupon the bearing in the-block A to prevent escape of gas. The conical or curved shape of ring and chamber entirely overcomes this difficulty.

The peculiar advantage possessed by the curved shape for the gas-ring is that its action in its chamber is similar to. that of a universal joint, which endows it with a self-adjusting V 0:, pacity that greatly simplifies and facilitates the mechanical application of my invention. If the block A does not move exactly at right angles with the bore of the gun, or if the ringchamber is not cut at rightangleswith the bore, then the contact between the bearingsurfaces will be imperfect. and gas will escape if the cylindrical or conical rings be employed; but the curved ring will adjust itself'upon the bearing-plate in spite of this imperfection in the workmanship, and there-will be no escape of gas.

. The conical ring, when properly adjusted, is perfectly gas-proof; but the cylindrical ring can never be thoroughly gas-proof under any circumstances. The employment, therefore, of the conical or curved shape for gas-rings is clearly a great improvement.

It will be evident that when a cylindrical gas-ring is used, if it be tight at the start, it will become jammed when heated, and if it be calculated to fit when'heated it will be too loose at the first. object has been to so construct the gas-ring that it may be pushed into its seat by the entrance of the breechblock, as the bearing-plate pushes againstthe gasring and compels it to fit tightly against its v seat, while the cylinder would be only pushed farther in without engaging its periphery more effectually with the seat.

I wish it distinctly understood that I do not limit myself to the precise mode herein described in every respect, as it may be varied without departing from the nature of my said invention.

' 1 donot claim, broadly aigas-ring inserted into the rear of the charge-chamber, as a cy1indrical ring isshown in my patent of July 12, 1864 nor do. I claim a conical ring when the same is withdrawn from its seat to introduce the chargeinto the piece, as there are several ical or curved gas-ring, in combination with a wedge-shaped breech-block which moves in a ing-plate D, an intervening softer material or line at'right' angles to the axis of the gun to cushion inserted between the block and'the secure the gasring in position. bearing-plate, for the purpose described.

2, The-combination of a conical or curved LEWIS WELLS BROADWELL.

gas-1'ing',as described, with an adjustable bearing-plate, I), in the face of the Wedge-shaped Witnesses: breech-block. C-M- CLAY,

3; In combination with the adjustable been JEREMIAH GURTIN. 

